Paying a Visit

"D—Daoist Qingfeng..." At the Yinquan Sect. Sect Master Dong looked at Qin Sang standing before him, feeling uneasy all over. Back then, he had backed Lu Xing in forming a core and attacking the Demon Flame Sect, intending to seize the opportunity to swallow the sect whole. To his surprise, this Daoist Qingfeng—who had been missing for a century—suddenly returned and struck Lu Xing dead with a single hand right in front of him, clearing out the traitor. He had been standing right beside Lu Xing, yet had possessed no time to intervene at all, watching helplessly as Lu Xing was reduced to flying ash. Whenever Sect Master Dong replayed that memory in his midnight dreams, he would break out in a cold sweat. Had Daoist Qingfeng been after him instead, Sect Master Dong estimated his chances of escaping were only about seventy percent. He could only count himself lucky that the other party had likely been wary of the Qingyang Demon Sect and did not dare go on a wanton slaughter. After all, no matter how powerful Daoist Qingfeng was, he would not dare run rampant under the rule of a Nascent Soul expert. Events had proved his guess right. Daoist Qingfeng had kept an exceptionally low profile ever since, and the Demon Flame Sect had dutifully obeyed the orders of the Qingyang Demon Sect. They showed no sign of ambition to expand. This had allowed Sect Master Dong to breathe a sigh of relief; at least he did not have to worry about the Yinquan Sect being gradually whittled down or replaced. He had instructed the disciples of the Yinquan Sect to give the Demon Flame Sect a wide berth whenever they crossed paths, keeping strictly to their own business. In three days, Xiang Qing was to convene the vassal sects for a council. Originally, the Demon Flame Sect had possessed only one sect master who had barely formed a core, so they were given little regard. As long as they paid their tribute in full, their attendance was entirely optional. Yet right at this time, Daoist Qingfeng had come knocking at his door, requesting to travel together. "Why? Is Sect Master Dong facing some difficulty?" Qin Sang casually glanced around the Yinquan Sect and asked with an easy air. Sect Master Dong gave a dry chuckle and said repeatedly, "Not at all, not at all... It is an honor for me to travel with you, Daoist! I plan to set off early tomorrow morning so that we arrive ahead of time, lest the Qingyang Demon Sect think we are being disrespectful." "That aligns with my intention as well. I shall trouble you for lodging tonight, Sect Master Dong." *** Early the next morning. Qin Sang and Sect Master Dong departed with their accompanying disciples. During the time he spent interacting with Qin Sang, Sect Master Dong found him surprisingly genial, bearing no grudge whatsoever over his past scheming against the Demon Flame Sect. Gradually, Dong's wariness faded, replaced instead by a desire to win him over. The Qingyang Demon Sect was merely the overlord in name; it did not interfere in the overt and covert struggles among the subordinate factions. There was no reason the two sects could not join forces to accomplish something great. Unfortunately, Qin Sang was in no mood to concern himself with such trivialities, leaving Sect Master Dong's overtures entirely wasted. He was deliberating his trip to the Qingyang Demon Sect. He needed to directly absorb and refine the Ancestral Holy Fire, which would inevitably shake Divine Astral Peak. Infiltrating by stealth as he had done before was definitely out of the question now. Xiang Qing was not someone easily manipulated or pushed around either. Taking into account the intelligence he had gathered beforehand, Qin Sang decided to pay an open visit. *** Before the mountain gate of the Qingyang Demon Sect. Numerous disciples were full of vigor, waiting to receive guests arriving from all quarters. Ever since Patriarch Xiang broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, the Qingyang Demon Sect had finally been able to hold its head high and restore its former glory. Now Xiang Qing's renown was fast rivaling that of Demon Monarch Tongyou, carrying tremendous weight, and every disciple shared in the honor, their joy evident on their faces. Qin Sang and Sect Master Dong walked up the jade steps. The Yinquan Sect held an established place in the demonic domain. Seeing that it was the Yinquan Sect arriving, the Qingyang Demon Sect disciples promptly halted their chatter and stepped forward to welcome them. "Welcome, Sect Master Dong and..." A youth at the Foundation Establishment stage stepped forward and spoke deferentially. Upon seeing Qin Sang, however, he stumbled over his words, unsure of the masked figure's background. "This is the founding patriarch of the Demon Flame Sect, Daoist Qingfeng. He has accompanied me to see Senior Xiang," Sect Master Dong introduced on his behalf. Demon Flame Sect... The youth racked his brain, unable to recall any patriarch from the Demon Flame Sect. Still, this man was undeniably a bona fide Golden Core Master, so he dared not show any slight. He bowed and said, "Greetings, Daoist Qingfeng. The Patriarch has already given instructions. Please follow this junior to Guest-Welcoming Peak for your stay, Seniors." "Thank you for leading the way, young friend." Sect Master Dong was exceedingly amicable toward the youth. The youth knew this deference stemmed entirely from the glory brought by his own patriarch, and his pride swelled all the more. Passing the giant stele, they entered the Qingyang Demon Sect. Revisiting familiar ground, Qin Sang looked at the familiar scenery and suddenly called the youth over, asking, "I heard that Sect Master Bing Han of the Xuling Sect is currently visiting the mountain as a guest. Is that true?" The youth wore a bewildered expression and answered, "Forgive me, Daoist, but this junior has no knowledge of that." Sect Master Dong glanced at Qin Sang in surprise, wondering where this old demon had dug up such information. *Why ask about Bing Han out of the blue? Could this old demon be plotting something?* Sect Master Dong muttered to himself. The Qingyang Demon Sect had a Nascent Soul Patriarch presiding over it; unless someone had a death wish, they would dare do nothing reckless here. Guest-Welcoming Peak was the mountain situated closest to the Qingyang Demon Sect's inner sect. The group flew slowly behind the youth. As they neared Guest-Welcoming Peak, a beam of light suddenly flew toward them from ahead. Looking closely, it was a burly man clad in armor. "Eh? Old Demon Dong!" Catching sight of them, the burly man laughed boisterously. His streak of light swerved, shooting directly toward them as he hollered, "Old Demon Dong! This divine lord has told you time and again to exchange a few pointers with me! You managed to run fast last time, but let's see where you can hide today!" At the sight of the burly man, Sect Master Dong's expression soured. In the demonic domain, apart from the major sects backed by Nascent Soul Patriarchs, there were quite a few demonic sects whose strength surpassed that of the Yinquan Sect. This burly man's sect was one of them. Moreover, the burly man's cultivation also exceeded Sect Master Dong's, having reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage. The two had never gotten along. Knowing he was no match and that agreeing to a bout would only humiliate him, Sect Master Dong had consistently avoided the burly man. He had not expected this fellow to have returned from the front lines. "He is the sect master of the Quanyi Sect whom I mentioned to you, Daoist. He calls himself Divine Lord Hanshan and possesses an arrogant, wild temperament," Sect Master Dong warned Qin Sang via voice transmission. Yet he found that Qin Sang paid no heed whatsoever. Qin Sang simply flew toward the Qingyang Demon Sect's inner sect entrance, landed there, and gazed deep into the inner sect, leaving the Qingyang Demon Sect disciples stationed there on high alert as if facing a mortal foe. Qin Sang's behavior was far too conspicuous. Divine Lord Hanshan, who was busy tangling with Sect Master Dong, had his attention drawn over as well. Even though Qin Sang had merely used a simple art to suppress his cultivation, it was not something Divine Lord Hanshan could see through. Divine Lord Hanshan could tell Qin Sang was a fellow cultivator of the core stage, but his aura made it seem as though he had only recently formed a core. He sneered at Sect Master Dong, "Is that boy a newly formed core disciple of yours? How arrogant and conceited, not even coming over to pay respects to a senior! Afraid to show his face, putting on mystifying airs—he truly takes right after you!" Sect Master Dong's heart stirred. If this fellow managed to enrage Daoist Qingfeng, it would be the perfect chance to pit the tiger against the wolf. He immediately snapped, "Old Demon Hanshan, this is the Qingyang Demon Sect! Rein in your insolence!" Divine Lord Hanshan gave a sinister laugh and was about to seize the pretext to teach him a lesson, but upon catching Sect Master Dong's expression, he keenly sensed something amiss and checked his momentum. *What a pity,* Sect Master Dong thought to himself. The youth from the Qingyang Demon Sect opened his mouth, about to speak. Right at that moment, a resonant, powerful voice suddenly echoed from within the inner sect of the Qingyang Demon Sect, rolling over like thunder: "May I know which fellow daoist is having fun at Xiang's expense, almost causing me to breach proper etiquette as host?"